LANDSCAPES

PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST ❧ FALL 2008

SAVI NG FAR M L AN D

© 2008 Ann Duwe
The mission of the Peninsula Open Space Trust
(POST) is to give permanent protection to the beauty,
character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula
and Santa Cruz Mountain range. POST encourages the
use of these lands for natural resource protection, wildlife
habitat, low-intensity public recreation and agriculture
for people here now and for future generations.
© 2008 Paolo Vescia
POST AND LO
A Natural Fit
Fresh, local food is making headlines, yet in
the United States cropland is at its lowest levels
since 1945. From the beginning, POST has worked
to protect local farmland and keep it under cultiva-
tion. In this issue, we talk with some of the San
Mateo County farmers who benefit from POST’s
effort to save agricultural land.
Farmland requires special care. While state,
county and local parks agencies like Midpeninsula
Regional Open Space District are appropriate stew-
ards for open space terrain, the best long-term
owner for agricultural land is likely to be a farmer.
POST completes a number of steps to protect farm-
land: buying at-risk land when it comes up for sale,
leasing POST-owned land to farmers and protecting
farmland with conservation easements. Whenever
possible, POST works with tenant farmers to make it
easier for them to buy land outright and continue
farming, subject to the terms of an easement.
Bringing Down the Cost of Land
Typically, local farmers seeking to buy land
get priced out by our region’s exorbitantly priced
real estate. But land protected by POST conservation
easements is by definition more affordable.
Easements are deed restrictions that provide
permanent protection of a property’s natural qualities,
such as scenic views, wildlife habitat and watersheds.
When selling land to a farmer, POST typically holds
back an easement limiting the land’s development
potential, which in turn brings down the property’s
total value, making the land more affordable for the
farmer. Easements can also reduce property taxes,
providing significant savings for the farmer.
Easements are carefully crafted to suit the particular
conditions on a given property, safeguarding the
character of the land and offering long-term economic
incentives to keep the land under cultivation.
CAL FOOD FAST FACTS
Agricultural land represents 20 percent
of the 60,000 acres POST has preserved
to date.
In the last 31 years POST has:
■ protected more than 1,800 acres of
POST’s partnership with local farmers doesn’t
productive cropland in San Mateo County,
stop with leases, easements and land sales. POST staff or approximately 10 percent of the county’s
members also help farmers with grant writing, permit agricultural land currently in production.
applications, maintenance projects and water issues. ■ protected more than 8,300 acres of grazing
This investment of time and resources helps preserve land, or 50 percent of the county’s current
agriculture in our area and ensure sources of fresh total.
food close to home. ■
At present POST:
■ leases 613 acres to nine farmers for row
crop agriculture and dry farming.
101

■ leases 2,330 acres to five cattle ranchers

Rancho Corral SA for grazing.
N
F
92
1 de Tierra
R
Cabrillo Farms A
N
C S
I C
O
84
92 Agriculture on POST-protected B
A
Y
Half Moon Bay
Land in San Mateo County
280
Madonna Creek Ranch
Johnston Ranch 35

Bluebrush Canyon 101

North Cowell
Lobitos Ridge
Purisima Farms 84
280
South Cowell

Toto Ranch 35

P AC I FI C Redgate Ranch Driscoll Ranch

84
OC EAN
Arata Ranch Mindego Hill
Diamond H
Ranch
1
SA
N

Pescadero
TA
SA

CL
NTA

AR
CR

Peninsula Farms
CO
UZ

UN
CO

TY
UN
TY

Cloverdale Coastal Ranches SAN MATEO COUNTY

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Blue House Farm

Bolsa Point LEGEND*

Farms POST-protected
1 Agricultural Land

 Row Crop Land

Pie Ranch Grazing Land
0 1 2 5 miles
Green Oaks Ranch
fall 2008 ■ 3
*Property boundaries are shown though only portions of the land are cultivated or grazed.
 BLUE HOUSE FARM:
Success by CSA
At Blue House Farm, four miles south of
Pescadero, farmers Ned Conwell and Ryan Casey

© 2008 Ann Duwe

build links between people and their food one box
of produce at a time. On just three acres, these
intrepid farmers cultivate hundreds of pounds of
healthful, certified organic, sustainably produced
fruits, vegetables and flowers, enough to feed the
80 local families who have signed up as subscribers
to the farm.
Ned and Ryan have leased this land from
POST for three years. Their farm is located on
POST’s Cloverdale Coastal Ranches, now covering
5,777 acres of open space, grazing and cropland.
They operate as a CSA, or Community Supported
© 2008 Paolo Vescia

Agriculture farm, which relies on members who pay

annual fees to generate income and cover expenses.
Each May, Blue House members begin
receiving a weekly box of fresh produce—lettuce,
chard, beets, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers,
pumpkins or whatever else reaches its peak of
perfection on delivery day. Except for the Early Girl
tomatoes, which are watered once at planting time
and dry farmed to a flavor-concentrated finish, the
farmers irrigate all their crops.
As CSA members, Blue House customers
enjoy fresh, high-quality produce and a direct rela-
tionship with the farmers. Members know exactly
where their food dollars go and can ask questions
about how their food is grown, visit the farm any-
time, or even throw on a pair of overalls to take part
in a workday. The farm offers tours to school and
other groups and, with three interns, is educating
the next generation of organic farmers. At all times,
the farm’s growing methods are compatible with
the preservation of surrounding natural lands.
Besides their CSA, Ned and Ryan sell at the
farm stand at nearby Pie Ranch (see story page 6)
and to a handful of local markets. “Both of us had
seen this model work elsewhere, so we made an
© 2008 Paolo Vescia

early decision to form a CSA rather than sell at

© 2008 Paolo Vescia
Ned Conwell and Ryan Casey of Blue House Farm are among the young,
innovative new farmers on the Coastside.
farmers’ markets,” says Ned. “We also share a similar
dream of combining farming with environmental
education.”
Not owning their land is both an advantage and a
risk, says Ned. “Healthy soil is our most important
resource. We’ve put a great deal of time, energy, money
and materials into building the soil at Blue House
Farm,” he says. “We’ve planted cover crops, added
compost, selected the best times and methods for tilling,
rotated crops, tested the soil repeatedly. If we were to
leave, we couldn’t take the soil with us. It’s the soil that
ties us to the farm. Ownership is best, but working on
POST-protected land gives us more assurance of a long-
term presence on the land.” ■
© 2008 Ann Duwe
Above: “Graffiti” seems more flower than cauliflower.
The variety is one of three grown at Blue House Farm.
Right: Ned shows off the week’s box at POST’s office in
Palo Alto, one of the drop-off points for the CSA.
WHAT IS A CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture is an arrange-
ment between people eager to eat fresh, local food and
farmers needing a steady market. Members pay in
advance for a share of a farm’s bounty for one growing
season. Members also share the season’s risks, such as
poor weather or attacks by insects. The money upfront
enables the farmer to purchase seed, soil amendments,
farm equipment and labor early in the year, long before
anything is ready to harvest, and keeps the farmer out
of debt.
CSAs may give members more collard greens or
kohlrabi than they want at a given moment, but they
also offer tastes of new foods or new ways of preparing
old favorites. No matter what’s in their weekly box, it’s
up to members to cook it themselves, which may be the
greatest benefit of all.
To learn more about Blue House Farm, go to
www.bluehousefarm.org. For more about CSAs, visit
www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csadef.shtml.
© 2008 Ann Duwe
fall 2008 ■ 5
 PIE RANCH:
Wants a Second Slice
Named for the shape of the property, Pie
Ranch between Pescadero and Davenport is a model

© 2008 Ann Duwe

14-acre organic farm and educational center. This
small wedge supports thriving rows of raspberries,
blackberries, strawberries, apple trees, rhubarb,
pumpkins and wheat—all delightful in pie. A large
flock of chickens and a committee of goats con-
tribute. Even the bees have jobs.
POST owns a second slice, a 13-acre parcel
of land known as Green Oaks Ranch adjacent to
Pie Ranch. The owners of Pie Ranch—co-directors
Karen Heisler and Jered Lawson and ranch manager
Nancy Vail—currently lease Green Oaks from POST
and have an option to purchase the land, subject to
a conservation easement.
© 2008 Ann Duwe

Besides five acres of excellent cropland,

Green Oaks contains the historic Isaac Steele house,
a nationally registered landmark, as well as restor-
able barns and farm buildings. A roadside barn on
Highway 1 becomes a farm stand on summer week-
ends and hosts monthly barn dances open to the
public. The balance of the property is an important
riparian corridor, with potential to become a trail
along Green Oaks Creek, which begins in nearby
Big Basin Redwoods State Park and connects to the
Pacific Ocean.
“This relationship is another example of how
important POST and other non-profits are in creating
a link between traditional and new coastal agricul-
ture,” says POST President Audrey Rust. “Our goal
is to keep the farmland at Green Oaks in production
while helping Pie Ranch in its effort to become the
long-term owner and prime mover in restoring this
historically significant ranch.”

Let Them Eat Pie

Since its founding in 2002, Pie Ranch has been
deeply engaged in teaching future farmers and con-
sumers, especially inner-city high school students.
© 2006 Jered Lawson

They come for day programs or overnight stays of

 © 2008 Paolo Vescia
TO SAVOR THE FLAVOR,
EAT LOCALLY
■ Enjoy Greater Flavor and Nutrition. Wine may
improve with age, but fruit and vegetables lose taste
and nutrition soon after harvest.

■ Fight global warming. On average fresh foods travel

1,500 miles before reaching your kitchen. Buying locally
grown food helps you cut down on fuel consumption and
the resulting greenhouse gases.

Pie Ranch family Jered Lawson, Nancy Vail and their children, Rosa and Lucas. ■ Protect yourself from harmful chemicals. Small
farms tend to use fewer and less dangerous chemicals
several days. Says Jered, “Most urban kids believe milk
than large corporate farms, especially when the farmer
comes from a carton. It’s an eye-opening experience for
lives on the land.
them to milk a goat and drink the milk fresh from the
animal. ■ Protect biodiversity. Local farms grow more than
“Our culture has lost the connection to the sources one crop. Growing several crops and multiple varieties
protects biodiversity, preserves a broader gene pool
of our food,” says Jered. “We use the farm to educate
among plants and prevents the soil from wearing out.
youth and adults about the progression from seed to
table. People who understand the process develop a ■ Boost the local economy. After paying for trans-
conscious capacity to make good choices.” portation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and
In addition to its seasonal farm stand, Pie Ranch marketing, farmers nationwide receive only 23 cents of
works with Mission Pie, at 2901 Mission Street in San every dollar you spend on food. When you buy locally,
Francisco, to sell pies, eggs and fresh, organic produce farmers earn a much greater share, and the money
stays in the community.
from Pie Ranch and other local organic farms. The pie
shop is the farm’s urban link and offers employment ■ Keep development in check. Preserving farmland
opportunities to students who have completed programs prevents development from sprawling, thereby preserving
at Pie Ranch. open space and scenic vistas.
Pie Ranch succeeds on a scientifically controlled
Sources: www.farmland.org, www.slowfoodusa.org, www.about.com
rotation of crops, animals, harvests and cultivation prac-
tices. Every plant and animal is multitasking. Chickens
are enclosed in a portable solar electric fence. After the
goats have grazed tall edible plants, the chickens graze
on the stubble, removing insects and fertilizing as they
strut. A little red gypsy wagon contains nesting boxes
where part of the flock lays its eggs. From 320 hens, Pie
Ranch collects 100 dozen eggs per week to use, sell or
distribute through their “Community Supported
Eggriculture” program.
Even the monthly barn dances are multipurpose.
The public is invited to an afternoon work party and
potluck supper before the dancing. As they build up the
farm, Pie Ranch is building community.

For more information about Pie Ranch, go to

© 2008 Ann Duwe

www.pieranch.org. ■

B.J. BURNS: Facing the Future
Twenty-five years ago, B.J. Burns was an established
Pescadero farmer, growing straw flowers, artichokes, fava
beans and pumpkins on a combination of owned and
leased land. Over the years, he witnessed the loss of large
farms and dairies and the family life they supported. He
experienced the disappearance of infrastructure for farm-
ing as well as changing markets. Seasonal labor, replace-
ment parts, mechanics, even produce buyers moved to
the Central Valley, with the result that his most important
farm tool was the phone he used to round up services.
In 1983, land available for farming on the Coastside
was shrinking. As B.J. looked ahead, he imagined local
farming might shift indoors to greenhouses, where the
region’s flower nurseries already flourished. His observa-
tion was prophetic. In recent years, low-cost foreign imports
have devastated the flower industry, so much so that grow-
ers are now beginning to think about planting vegetables in
greenhouses to extend the local growing season.
B.J., past president of the San Mateo County Farm
Bureau and now a director and treasurer, sees other
factors with impact on local agriculture. “In the last two
years the cost of diesel, gas and fertilizer has gone way
up,” he says. “We have to look more carefully at local
markets. The county has helped promote the special
slogan, ‘As Fresh As It Gets.’ This can help small
8 ■ landscapes
© 2008 Ann Duwe
growers, but large growers must still ship out of the
area. They produce much more of a single product
than could be consumed here on a daily basis.”
As a farmer, B.J. concentrates on crops he can sell
locally—pumpkins, yarrow and oat hay. Though he has
used conventional farming methods for years, this season
he is growing pumpkins without pesticides on his own
land as well as on land leased from POST at Cloverdale
Coastal Ranches, just across the fence from Blue House
Farm. His pumpkins are sold to local stores and farm
stands, with the balance distributed in the Bay Area.
The oat hay is sold primarily to local horse owners. Only
yarrow, a fresh flower, goes to regional wholesalers for
national distribution.
B.J would like to see more farmland saved,
especially for food production. “To save agricultural
land we’ve got to try farming in new ways. There is
interest here in olives for olive oil, blueberries and special
varieties of lemons,” he says. “I don’t want to see us
become dependent on foreign imports for our food the
way we are for oil. The growth of farmers’ markets and
organic producers suggests that people are taking more
interest in where their food comes from.” By adapting
to changes in the marketplace, he says, local farms can
have a new lease on life. ■
 The Sprout Kings
OF SAN MATEO COUNTY
Local farmers Joe Muzzi, John Giusti and Dave Lea are among the biggest producers of Brussels
sprouts in San Mateo County. Their family farms are all located on historic agricultural properties protected
by POST.
Remarkably, 99 percent of the sprouts consumed in the United States come from California, primarily
from San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. Joe, John and Dave sell to local farmers’ markets as well as large
national grocery chains. Their sprouts, the largest crop in San Mateo County, end up at your neighborhood
grocer or favorite corner bistro and as far away as dinner tables in Boston and New York.

“We saw Brussels sprouts on the menu at Lulu’s,”said Dave, recalling

a meal he once shared with John and Joe in San Francisco.
“We made a bet that if the sprouts came from one of our farms, the
other two guys would pay for dinner. We gave the waiter twenty
bucks to check the box in the kitchen. Sure enough,”he laughs,
“they were from John’s farm, south of Half Moon Bay.”

Brussels Sprouts
THE RENAISSANCE CROP
Part of the Cruciferae family, Brussels
sprouts are related to cabbage, broccoli and
cauliflower. Known also as brassicas, they
are rich in vitamins A and C, folic acid
and fiber. While some people dislike
their aromatic intensity, others savor
their nutty sweetness, enjoying them
boiled, steamed or roasted.
Brussels sprouts were cultivated in
Europe as far back as the 14th century.
During the late 1500s, they became popular
in Belgium, hence the name. Thomas
Jefferson is said to have introduced them
to North America. They have been
harvested commercially in California since
the early 1900s.
Sprouts prefer the cool fog, ocean
breezes and well-drained soils of the coast.
The edible buds grow below a broad canopy
of large green leaves, maturing in clusters
along the stalk from the bottom up. A single
plant can produce 80 to 100 sprouts. At
harvest time, workers chop the stalks down
by hand with machetes. Lined up in
windrows, the cut stalks are fed through
a harvesting machine, which strips off the
sprouts. The veggies are then cleaned,
sorted and packed for distribution. ■

fall 2008 ■ 9

“Years ago people bought a lot more frozen Brussels sprouts. Today people are buying more fresh produce of all kinds, including
50 to 60 percent of the sprout crop,” says Joe Muzzi.
Joe Muzzi
HISTORY IN HIS HANDS
Under the names Peninsula Farms and Bolsa
Point Farms, Joe Muzzi and his sons John and Danny
farm 558 acres near Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
Joe’s family were tenant farmers on the coast for
50 years, growing crops that hadn’t changed in
100 years. All that time, the Muzzis leased
farmland without any assurance their
place on the land was secure. But
that changed in 2007. Using funds
from its Saving the Endangered
Coast campaign, POST bought
both farms, then re-sold them to
the Muzzis while retaining con-
servation easements on the land.
“Without POST and the
easements, we would not have
been able to afford to buy the land.
It probably would have been developed,
10 ■ landscapes
© 2007 Paolo Vescia
and a lot of my family’s history on the land would have
been plowed under,” says Joe.
Besides Brussels sprouts, the Muzzis also grow
leeks, fava beans and English peas. They process the veg-
etables on their Bolsa Point Farms in a large white
barn POST renovated in 2002 after a major
storm ripped off part of the roof.
In spite of rising costs and other
challenges, Joe is optimistic about
coastal agriculture. “I think farm-
ers will move toward growing
more specialty crops and selling
in local markets to make
ends meet. I know the idea of
buying local is gaining populari-
ty, and I hope people in Silicon
Valley will continue the trend by
buying from local growers.”
John Giusti Dave Lea
CREATING THE FAMILY FARM A LIFE ON THE LAND

John Giusti grew up on the coast and followed
his father into farming. John grows Brussels sprouts five
miles south of Half Moon Bay on 534-acre Purisima
Farms, which he bought from POST in 2006 after leasing
part of the land for six years. He also leases 121 acres of
POST’s Johnston Ranch in Half Moon Bay.
In 1992, Giusti’s late father, Aldo, purchased
POST’s North Cowell property, where he grew sprouts,
artichokes and English peas. Like Purisima Farms, the
597-acre North Cowell property, which is still owned by
the Giustis, is protected by trail and conservation ease-
ments owned by POST as well as the California Coastal
Conservancy.
At Dave Lea’s Cabrillo Farms, just across
Highway 1 from the Half Moon Bay airport, Brussels
sprout plants line a strip of fertile soil considered one of
the most productive agricultural tracts in California.
Wedged between the road and hillside, the strip is part
of POST’s 4,262-acre Rancho Corral de Tierra property.
Lea’s family has worked this land since the late
1960s, when his father, Ed, moved the family from a
farm near Pigeon Point. Three generations of Leas have
farmed on the San Mateo Coast since the 1920s.
From his pickup truck, Dave can point to any spot
on the 220 acres he leases from POST and tell you how

©Paolo Vescia/San Mateo Grown Project

Brussels sprouts
make up about
75 percent of John’s
overall business.
“My kids don’t eat
them, but I like ‘em,”
he says. Picky palates
notwithstanding, John
hopes one day his
children, whom he
and his wife, Maureen,
are raising on the
farm, will carry on the
agricultural traditions
of the Coastside, like
their father and
grandfather before
them.

John Giusti grows

artichokes as well as
Brussels sprouts.

fall 2008 ■ 11

For Dave Lea and his father, Ed, there is nothing better than the thrill of working outside on a crisp, clear day surrounded by
beautiful scenery.
likely it is for sprouts to flourish. The harvest peaks
from October to December, about the same time his
pumpkins appear at local roadside stands and at farmers’
markets in Palo Alto and Walnut Creek. He also grows
artichokes, fava beans, peas and leeks. Each crop has
multiple methods of distribution: buyers who come to
the farm, as well as deliveries he makes to produce
terminals, brokers, packers and restaurants.
Without his lease arrangement with POST, Dave
says, it would be difficult for his family to continue to
work the land. “There are a lot of factors working against
us. Our produce has to be perfect or our customers and
produce buyers will reject it. We have to cope with
weather, pests and disease. And we’re always compet-
ing with foreign imports. But being able to farm here
means we can keep up the family business,” he says.
Back at the processing barn, about a dozen work-
ers sort the day’s harvest. Tightly clustered green globes
come tumbling down the conveyor belt like alien ping
12 ■ landscapes
© 2006 Paolo Vescia
pong balls. A bruise here or a brown patch there, and
the offending veggie gets tossed into a box on the
ground, destined for cattle feed. The ones that pass
muster get sorted into two batches. Larger sprouts for
local farmers’ markets and grocery stores go into waxed
boxes. Smaller sprouts get diverted onto a separate con-
veyor belt to be shipped to Watsonville. There they will
be distributed to Green Giant and Birds Eye, two of the
largest purveyors of frozen vegetables in the country.
Driving back towards Highway 1, Lea passes an
old horse stable that has seen better days. “That’s where
my father lived as a boy. It wasn’t a stable back then. It
was a nice farm house, but that was a long time ago,”
he says, eyes fixed on the road. With crops to harvest,
fields to irrigate, and shipments to distribute, there’s not
much time for nostalgia. Like his friends Joe Muzzi and
John Giusti, he’s too busy farming, and from the looks of
it, he wouldn’t have it any other way. ■
Courtesy of Jan Garrod

Jan Garrod Tributes

April 1 – June 30, 2008
Joins POST
Board Your honorary and memorial gifts to POST create a
lasting tribute to friends and loved ones by helping to
Jan Garrod, general protect the beauty, character and diversity of the San
manager of Garrod Farms Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range.
and Cooper-Garrod Estate
If you would like to make a tribute gift, please call
Vineyards in Saratoga and Kathleen Ward, Associate Major Gifts Officer, at
Bird Flat Ranch in Lassen County, is following the family (650)854-7696.
tradition by joining POST’s Board of Directors.
Jan’s father, Vince, was a member of the Board from
Gifts in Honor of
1983 until 2005, when he became an Advisory Council
member. Like his father, Jan is highly involved in regional George and Bobbi Tina Lee
Andreini Linda Merry
thinking about agriculture, serving currently as president of
Morton Bradski The Meyer-Wakelee Clan
the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, founder and water Jeff & Shinyung Lynn and David Mitchell
master for Mount Eden Mutual Water Company, member of Enderwick Mother Nature
Terry Hanko Charles Osborne
the agricultural advisory board of the Santa Clara Valley John A. Huberty Audrey C. Rust
Water District, and active with numerous equestrian and Ray Jadwin Kim Schoknecht
vintners associations. Esther Joki Elizabeth Singleton
Dale W. Keedy Pierre Tardiff
“Jan brings an enormous measure of practical experience Mr. and Mrs. Neil Michael Thometz
to our Board of Directors,” says POST President Audrey Keegan Ellen and Mike Turbow
Rust. “He lives with issues facing all Santa Clara County Peter and Sue Dick van Gelder
LaTourrette Susan and George Varian
farmers, and as president of the Santa Clara County Farm Katie Leader Marilyn Walter
Bureau, he is in touch with these issues in a more formal
way. At home he has had to tailor his agricultural pursuits
to fit the needs of the highly urbanized culture surrounding
Gifts in Memory of
the family farm. It pleases me greatly to have another Anna John Keil
visionary thinker from the Garrod family on our Board.” Anabelle Aron Mel Lane
Clark Barrett Jean Lauer
Garrod Farms, which once produced prunes and Wanda Bartholow Scott McLean
apricots, now consists of 120 acres—a portion dedicated to Burton Bergman Hugh McMillan
Beryl A. Blakeley George E. Merryweather
horses and riding programs and a portion dedicated to wine
Paul Bonney Leonard Michaels
grapes. The equestrian facilities house 200 horses, some Patricia M. Brown Elaine Miller
boarded, others available as rentals for lessons or trail rides. Donald Carre Józef Nowak
Ray Carter Doug and Lorraine Ordahl
Garrod Farms is also home to a world-class junior vaulting Hewitt Crane Thomas W. and Louise
program. The ranch in Lassen County grows hay for the David Daniels Phinney
horses. Morgan Decker-Stone Mayre Rasmussen
Herbert DeStaebler Jud and Ruth Scholtz
Under Jan’s watch, the winery has developed into a Walter D. Goggin Skeeter, a wonderful cat
major destination along the Santa Cruz Mountain wine road, Richard Hettel Lynne Tuite
producing chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet Ralph Hewitt Steve Warila
Elliott Hillback Dar Weber
franc. Meanwhile Jan keeps an eye on the future to be pre- John A. Hooper Nicolette Weicker
pared for whatever comes next. ■ Dorothy Junge William H. Wickett, Jr.

14 ■ landscapes
 © 2008 Sheldon Breiner

Landscapes
Landscapes is published quarterly
by Peninsula Open Space Trust
222 High Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Telephone: (650) 854-7696
Fax: (650) 854-7703
Web site: www.openspacetrust.org
POST is a public benefit California corporation and

Leaving A Legacy: is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal

Revenue Code. Contributions to POST are tax-deductible.

Edited by Nina Nowak

How to Make a Planned Gift to POST Designed by DiVittorio & Associates
Printed by TradeMark Graphics, Inc.
Create a legacy of permanently protected lands by including BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POST in your estate plans. Karie Thomson, Chair
Steve Blank
■ Bequests Susan Ford Dorsey
Help ensure the continued protection of open space by naming Jan F. Garrod
Larry Jacobs
POST as a beneficiary of your will or trust. Your bequest can be Charlene Kabcenell
a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a specific Martha J. Kanter
asset such as real estate or securities. You also may name POST Robert C. Kirkwood
Dianne McKenna
as a beneficiary of your IRA or life insurance policy. Paul Newhagen
Brad O’Brien
■ Gifts of Real Estate Sandra Thompson
Mark A. Wan
Real estate contributions are especially appropriate for people
who have highly appreciated real estate that would trigger STAFF
Audrey C. Rust President
significant capital gains taxes if sold. Through a gift of a remainder Walter T. Moore Executive Vice President
interest in your home, you also can receive a significant income Anne Trela Vice President, Advancement
tax deduction at the time of the gift and continue living in your Karen P. Douglas Chief Financial Officer

home during your lifetime. Gordon Clark Conservation Project Manager

Will Clark Grants Officer
Chris Detwiller Conservation Project Manager
■ Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) Karuna Di Maria Office Assistant/Receptionist
Ann Duwe Communications Associate
By establishing a CRT, you can support POST’s future work Megan Hansen Communications Associate
while receiving a tax deduction and income for life. If you have Elizabeth Hart Development Assistant
Kyndra Homuth Development Assistant
appreciated assets such as real estate or stocks, CRTs are an Meghan Kirby-McFarland Land Associate
excellent option because you can avoid incurring capital gains Marc Landgraf Director of Land Acquisition
taxes. The trust provides you or your designees with income Katy Lebow Development Assistant
Kim Merin Conservation Project Manager
for life or for a term of years. At the end of the term, the trust Daphne Muehle Director of Major Gifts
dissolves and the remaining balance goes to POST. Nina Nowak Director of Communications
Alison Poetsch Major Gifts Officer
Jane Potter Office Manager
To learn more about making a planned gift to POST, Jeff Powers Cloverdale Project Manager
please contact Director of Planned Giving Adelaide Roberts at Paul Ringgold Director of Land Stewardship
Adelaide Roberts Director of Planned Giving
aroberts@openspacetrust.org or (650) 854-7696. ■ Noelle Thurlow Conservation Project Manager
Jennifer Tucker Annual Giving Manager
Nancy Walowski Director of Administration
Kathleen Ward Associate Major Gifts Officer
Cheryl Warner Development Assistant
 Join us for a seaside
Walk & Talk
POST’s Skyline Society Committee
invites you to celebrate fall with
a coastal outing at Wavecrest
in Half Moon Bay!
Above: © 2008 Neal Kramer; front cover: © 2008 Paolo Vescia
Bring your own picnic, and enjoy bird-watching,
hiking or relaxing to the sound of waves.
New friends welcome.
October 4, 2008 12 to 3 p.m.
Email POST at wavecrest@openspacetrust.org
or call us at (650) 854-7696 to make reservations.
Directions provided when you reserve your space.
Dogs welcome.

LANDSCAPES NON-PROFIT ORG.

FALL 2008 U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Peninsula Open Space Trust PERMIT NO. 925
222 High Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 854-7696
www.openspacetrust.org

Address Service Requested

Recycled Paper/Soy Ink